Taika Waititi has finally given a straight answer about his long-gestating Star Wars movie, and it is not the news fans were hoping for. Speaking to Inverse while promoting his new film Klara and the Sun, the Oscar-winning director confirmed the project he has been developing since 2020 is being shelved indefinitely. "I hate to break this to you, but we're going to actually put it on ice and we're working on a different thing together," Waititi said, referring to himself and co-writer Tony McNamara.
According to Collider, Waititi was characteristically blunt when pressed for detail, admitting, "I don't even know how to dress it up or make it even vague. It's very iced. I've got about four other movies I'm trying to do." His publicist reportedly tried to stop him from elaborating, but the director had already said enough. He did leave the door cracked open, adding, "Ice ages do come to an end... Who knows?"
The film was first announced in May 2020, with Waititi set to write and direct. He told Variety as recently as January that he wanted to recapture the fun of George Lucas's original trilogy, saying he was "trying to go back and harness a little bit more of the fun from the original films." Former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had also insisted the project was still alive earlier this year, praising a script Waititi had submitted.
Waititi is not sitting idle. Per Collider, his upcoming slate includes a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory adaptation, We're Wolves (a What We Do in the Shadows follow-up), The Incal, and Barn 8. His latest directorial effort, Klara and the Sun starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, opens in theaters October 23. For Star Wars fans, though, the wait for Waititi's galaxy continues — frozen, for now.